Pablo Picasso

Galerie Rosengart, Lucerne (by 1968)

Sale: Christie's, London, June 26, 1989, lot 63

Private Collection (acquired at the above sale)

Acquired from the above in 1993

Humlebaek, Louisiana, Museum voor Modern Kunst, Picasso, 1968, no. 94, illustrated in the catalogue

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, Oeuvres de 1958-59, vol. 18, Paris, 1967, no. 400, illustrated pl 119

The Picasso Project, Picasso’s Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture, The Fifties II, 1956-1959, San Francisco, 2000, no. 59-121, illustrated p. 309

Excellent condition. Original canvas. Under UV light, no evidence of retouching.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The crisp profile of a woman seated before an earthenware pitcher is the subject of this intensely-colored composition from 1959.  Picasso completed the work at the Chateau de Vauvenargues; the grand sevententh-century hillside estate at the foot of Mont-Sainte-Victoire that he and Jacqueline purchased in September 1958.  Since Cézanne had painted so many views of this region, the location held special meaning for Picasso, who would later be buried on the grounds of this estate.  According to John Richardson, the austerity of this countryside fortress must have also reminded Picasso of the Golden Age of Spain, and the paintings he completed whilst in residence here all allude to the "pomp and circumstance" of the setting.  "Note the ironical heraldry of Picasso's Vauvenargues colors - viridian and crimson.  These paintings are all about being a Spandiard in exile" (J. Richardson. Pablo Picasso:
Watercolours and Gouaches, London, 1964, p. 44).

While Richardson notes the many references to Spanish nobility in Picasso's Vauvenargues paintings, the present work also makes clear reference to the more biographical details of the artist's life with Jacqueline, who appears here in profile.   The couple had met a few years earlier at the Madoura pottery workshop Vallauris, where Jacqueline was employed.  She had endeared herself to the artist at the end of his relationship with Françoise Gilot, ultimately becoming the companion who would stay with him for the remainder of his life.  The large pitcher here, presumably the vessel holding the sangria which appears in the glass on the table, is perhaps a reference to the couple's early courtship in Vallauris.